The Interpreter Console is the system used by Interpreters to listen to one or different audio language inputs and speak the interpretation into a microphone. This microphone is connected to control units and transmitters to transmit the interpretation to people with interpretation receivers. The Interpreter consoles have different functions to improve the efficiency and comfort of the interpreter, like choosing the input channel, muting the transmission, or adjusting audio volume.

Interpreter Console Options

The market of interpreter consoles has a range of maybe 10 different products that fall into certain categories

Single vs Dual Interpreter Console: A console may be designed for the usage of 1 or 2 interpreters at the same time. A single interpreter console is used by 1 interpreter; a dual interpreter console has usually 2 microphones and control buttons and can be used by 2 interpreters at the same time.

Digital vs Analogue Interpreter Console: Consoles use different technologies to transmit the audio signal to and from the interpreter to the control units, transmitters, and receivers. the 2 main options are analog or digital consoles.

Interpreter Console Models

Williams Sound: Interpreter Control Console (IC-2)

Features

• CAT5 audio bus offers simplified cabling, easy cascading to support additional interpreters.
• Built-in distribution amplifier and mini mixer reduce the need for external equipment and greatly simplify setup.
• Floor language feed-through
• Interlocking microphone and CH2 (relay) output functions
• Soft-touch buttons provide for smoother, quieter operation
• Enhanced flexibility, providing each interpreter with multiple microphone and headset options
• Individual volume and tone controls ensure optimal listening levels

Specification:

Dimensions/Weight/Color 10” (25.4cm) x 6.35” (16.1cm) x 2.45” (6.2cm) / 3.4 lbs (1.5 kg) / Black and Silver
Power External Power Supply, 18VDC Desktop Style Switching Inverter, 110-240VAC, 50-60Hz, 1A
Floor In 3-pin XLR female jack, balanced (or unbalanced) input with 24k Ω differential input impedance, max balanced input is +19dBu
IC-2 Bus In / Out CAT5 8p8c RJ45 female receptacle distributes balanced line-level Floor and Relay audio to another IC-2
XLR Microphone Inputs 3-pin XLR female jack, balanced (or unbalanced) input. Switchable 12VDC simplex power. Variable gain of 58 dB, 2.4k Ω balanced
input impedance, maximum balanced input is +19 dBu
3.5mm Microphone Inputs Stereo 3.5 mm TRS phone jack, pink, and stereo 3.5mm TRRS phone jack, black, unbalanced (r,s) for electret condenser mics,
a variable gain of 40dB. Bias is 3.7VDC through 2.7k Ω
3.5mm TRRS Headphone Output 3.5mm TRRS phone jack, Tip = Left, Ring 1 = Right, Ring 2 = GND, Sleeve = Mic. 40mW max power into 32 Ω stereo headset.
3.5mm Headphone Output 3.5mm TRS phone jack, mono or stereo headphone, 8 Ω minimum. 190mW max power into 32 Ω stereo headset.
CH1 Out, CH2 Out 3-pin XLR male jack, balanced output. Max output is +19dBu into 600 Ω balanced load impedance.
RCA Jacks Red: RCA jack for recording and CH1 audio, Interpreter audio only, no feedthrough.
White: RCA jack for recording CH2 audio.
Volume Left and Right rotary, control headphone volume
Bass and Treble Tone Left and right rotary with center detent, controls headphone bass and treble tone levels.
Mute Push button, backlit red, mutes left and right mics while pressed.
Mic On Pushbutton backlit bright red, activates microphone. Right and left Mic On buttons are interlocked; the mic can only be turned on if
the other is off.
Floor Input, Relay Input Pushbuttons, backlit blue, select listening language group.
Listening modes are either/or: turning one on disables the other.
CH2 Output Push button, backlit yellow, selects microphone output language group: light on = CH2 Out, light off = CH1 Out.
Gain Adjust Rotary gain pots control level of microphone and Floor audio.
Phantom Power Slide switch enables 12VDC Simplex power to XLR microphone.
CH1 Feedthrough Slide switch enables Floor feedthrough to Norm Out XLR jack.
CH2 Feedthrough Slide switch enables Floor feedthrough to Relay Out XLR jack.
Ground Lift Slide switch disconnects Chassis and Audio Grounds internal to the console.
INDICATOR
Peak Level Indicator Green LED on the back panel indicates optimal audio output level on
Norm Out XLR when blinking.
CH2 Output in Use Indicator Yellow LED on the front panel indicates when CH2 is in use.
Frequency Response 45Hz to 20kHz, +0/-3dB re: 1kHz with flat bass/treble
Distortion at 1kHz <0.5% THD @ full power
Signal to Noise Ratio >82dB @ 1kHz
Crosstalk Attenuation >63dB @ 1kHz
Tone Controls Bass: +12dB Boost or -12dB Cut @ 100Hz
Treble: +12dB Boost or -12dB Cut @ 10kHz
Approvals and Declarations CE, FCC, Industry Canada, RoHS, C-Tick, CB

Danish Interpretation System – IS 6132 P

The IS 6132 P 32-Channel Interpreter Unit is a fully digital, portable, single-user interpreter unit, fully compliant to international standards. The unit features two outgoing A/B channels and four 4 input relay buttons.

Clear positioning of all controls allows intuitive operation without mistakes. The unique digital technology eliminates background noise, distortion and crosstalk. Automatic gain control ensures equal listening level on all channels irrespective of the individual interpreter’s speech level. The operator can change the language setting or activate/de-activate a microphone remotely. The unit can be used with a gooseneck microphone and headphone or a headset.

Features

Portable interpreter unit for interpreters
Fully digital audio transmission
Daisy chain topology with loop through connections or star topology using junction boxes
DCS-LAN connection by use of CAT 5e (or higher) F/UTP or U/FTP cabling
Maximum 150 interpreter units per system
Maximum 32 interpreter units per booth
Maximum 128 booths per system
Support for up to 31 interpretation channels
Two outgoing channels (A+B) with free/locked toggling
Selectable B channel mode (all channels, one channel, no channels)
Four relay languages + floor
Support for multiple interlocking modes (A interrupt A, A interrupt B, A interrupt A+B)
Illuminated microphone on/off button
Beep mode for blind interpreters
Auto floor mode for distributing the floor signal when there is no interpretation
Volume and tone controls
Speaking too fast button
4 x 24 LCD display with backlight
Light indication in buttons
XLR socket for gooseneck microphone
Large ‘mute/cough’ button
Connection for headset
Connection for loudspeaker
Remotely controllable from the SW 6000 Conference Management Software

Sennheiser SL Interpreter Console

The SL Interpreter is a compact and stand-alone audio control center for simultaneous interpretation of one or more languages. It allows one or two interpreters to monitor floor or relay sources, activate microphone inputs, and route the interpretation signal to different outputs. Ideal for presentation-style conferences, where a floor and a single relay language are used. Recommended to be used with Sennheiser Tourguide 2020 or 1039.

Features

stand-alone interpreter console – no need for external equipment
easy to use
up to 4 consoles can be cascaded for translation into multiple languages
individual volume and tone controls for 2 interpreters
easy cascading of up to 4 consoles with Cat 5 cable
floor language feed-through
multiple microphone and headset options

Specification

Dimensions 25.4 cm (10″) x 16.1 cm (6.35″) x 6.2 cm (2.45″)
Jack plug Red: RCA jack for CH1 audio
Jack plug White: RCA jack for CH2 audio
Jack plug Interpreter audio only, no feedthrough.
Weight 3.4 lbs (1.5 kg)
Phantom powering 12VDC
Floor in 3-pin XLR female jack, balanced (or unbalanced) input with 24k O differential input impedance, max balanced input is +19dBu
CH1 Out, CH2 Out 3-pin XLR male jack, balanced output. Max output is +19dBu into 600 O balanced load impedance.

Bosch DCN IDesk-D

The DCN-IDESK (Dark) is a single-user interpreter desk with a stylish and modern design. It fully conforms to internationally agreed standards. Clear positioning per functional area of the desk controls allows intuitive operation without mistakes. A socket is provided to connect the pluggable microphones (DCN-MICS and DCN-MICL, to be ordered separately). The interpreter desk is also available with a light colored base as DCN-IDESK-L.

Low susceptibility to mobile phone interference
Ergonomic design with features for visually impaired
Up to 31 interpretation channels and the original floor language with an audio bandwidth of 20 kHz
A graphic LCD with backlighting for bright information display in dark conditions
5 pre-select keys for relay languages with activation indication at the display
Compliant to ISO 2603

Technical Specification

Power supply 40 VDC
Power consumption 3.5 W
Headphone connection
Frequency response 30 Hz – 20 kHz
Load impedance > 32 ohm
Output power 2 x 30 mW/32 ohm
Headset connection
Frequency response 30 Hz – 20 kHz
Load impedance > 32 ohm
Output power 60 mW/32 ohm
Nominal microphone input level 7 mVrms
Overload microphone input level > 124 mVrms
Mounting Free-standing or mounted on a table
Dimensions (H x W x D)(with microphone) 82 x 330 x 170 mm (3.2 x 13 x 6.7 in)
Slope 25 degrees
Weight 1.3 kg (2.87 lb)
Color top Silver (RAL 9022)
Color base DCN-IDESK-L Light grey (RAL 000 7500), DCN-IDESK-D Charcoal (PH 10736)

Brahler Digital Interpreter Console DDol

The tried and tested operating concept of the interpreter console from the high-end CDSVAN series, developed in cooperation with interpreters, also features in the DIGIMIC DDol.
It’s clearly arranged controls, its large, bright display and the illuminated buttons allow straight and intuitive operation. Up to 3 selectable output channels and 5 preselectable monitoring languages are just as self-understood as separate speech channels providing a link to technical team or the chairperson.

All common (mono and stereo) headphones can easily be connected to the console and in combination with various microphone types or combined headsets it guarantees maximum comfort for the interpreter. The interpreter console is divided into 3 sections:
Speaking section
• Three outgoing channels (A/B/C)
• Microphone ON/ OFF button
• Mute button to mute the activate microphone temporarily
• Clear indication of active and occupied channels
Listening and relay section
• 5 preselectable relay channels
• separate floor button
• Relay interpretation quality indicator Monitoring section
• Loudspeaker with channel selector to monitor all languages
• All loudspeakers within one both will be muted automatically when a DDOL in the booth goes live
Additional features
• Operator and/ or chairman call
• Auto Relay feature
• Various take-over modes programmable
• “Hearing guard” LED to indicate the headphone volume level
Technical Data
Complies with the standards IEC914 and IEC2603.2
• Sample rate 48kHz
• Resolution 24 BIT
• Frequency response: 20 – 20,000 Hz
• OR + 7 channels
• Latency end to end 1.5 ms
• LC-Display, 2 x 56 characters, backlit Connections
• PREVIOUS (D9) for interconnection
• NEXT (D9) for interconnection
• Microphone TM58/6 or TMD01 (Minicon socket) lockable
• Headphones (3.5/6.3 mm jack)
• Electret Headset 8-pin socket (DIN)
Housing
• Lower part: robust plastic, grey
• Operation panel: aluminium, “silver” anodized
• WxHxD: (305 x 96 x 175) mm
• Weight: 1.5 kg

Telecor Interpreter Console

The TIC-2 is an Interpreter’s Control Console for simultaneous interpretation of one or more languages. It allows one or more interpreters to monitor a floor language and interpret it for broadcasting to another language channel, or relay sources to other consoles for interpretation.

Features

CAT 5 Audio Buss Cabling
Built in Distribution Amplifier
Individual Volume and Tone Controls
Soft Touch Buttons
Active Mic Indicators
Floor Language Feed-Through
Meets International standards for portable Interpretation Consoles

Televic Lingua Interpreter Desk

The Lingua Interpreter Desk has everything on board to make an interpreter’s job easier. The improved ergonomics, from the viewing angle to the button placement, make it more comfortable to work for longer periods. Tactile buttons with braille indicators and even audible feedback give every interpreter tools to perform better. And a clear and flexible user interface allows you to see all information at a glance.

Benefits

Save space with a compact design
Fully ISO 20109:2016 compliant
Work with less friction, for longer periods
Built for maximum accessibility (visually impaired interpreters)
Enjoy all benefits from the Plixus Network

Technical Specification

Screw-lock socket to connect a removable microphone immune to mobile interface:
D-MIC30SL 71.98.0053
D-MIC40SL 71.98.0054
D-MIC50SL 71.98.0055
Headphones available separately: TEL15 Headphones 71.04.1216
Headset available separately: HS15 Headset 71.04.1217
2 x RJ 45 connectors for loop through cabling
1 x RJ 45 connector for LAN connectivity (Future use)
Three 3.5 mm stereo jack sockets for headphones/
headsets
Plixus-powered, 64 channels available

More information (External links)

Gonsin – TC-F06-16 Interpreter Console

Digitally-controlled workstation to be used by one or two interpreters. Designed for 6-channel or 16-channel simultaneous interpretation system. LCD screen to display the following information:

1) Channel selection and confirmation
2) Incoming/outgoing language channel number
3) All the occupied language channels
4) channel number of the present unit
5) Interpretation time for the last and present operation
z Two different types of microphone can be used:
1) High quality gooseneck microphone
2) Headset microphone
Built-in loudspeaker with volume level control. Loudspeaker is automatically switched off when the microphone is turned on
3 pre-selected incoming channels are available
Automatic channel interlocking function prevents the interpreters from using the same outgoing channel
The floor audio automatically goes to the outgoing channel when the microphone is turned off.
Multiple interpreter consoles can be connected in a daisy-chain

Technical Data: